BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana has the sixth-highest adult obesity rate in the country, and the problem is growing.

Those findings are included in a national report released Wednesday that shows Louisiana's rate tops 36 percent, up from around 23 percent in 2000. The information comes from the nonpartisan Trust for America's Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Louisiana's problem is most acute in people aged 45 to 64, with an obesity rate reaching 43 percent. The data shows disparities by race, with nearly 43 percent of black adults in Louisiana considered obese, compared to 33 percent of white adults.

The report shows Louisiana is one of seven states where adult obesity rates exceed 35 percent of the population. West Virginia ranks highest, at 38 percent. Colorado is lowest, at just under 23 percent.